O'Sullivan floored by matinee star Higgins

The 1998 champion took the Rocket apart in ruthless fashion with seven out of eight morning frames before enduring the inevitable fightback last night to eventually confirm his 13-9 quarter-final victory.

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World No 3 O'Sullivan, twice a Crucible champion, could only fidget in his seat and watch an early matinee that recalled Graeme Dott's semi-final demolition of the Essex player 12 months earlier.

O'Sullivan refused to go quietly and, come the evening session, Higgins needed six frames to win the two that took him through.

O'Sullivan said: "My technique let me down and I put myself in a hard position at 11-5 down. I never felt like I was able to keep him out. I was trying to make something happen and it never did."

Higgins, who faces fellow Scot and practice partner Stephen Maguire for a place in the final, arrived in Sheffield unheralded but is now seen as the likeliest contender to lift the trophy.

His devastating spell against the unpredictable natural genius of O'Sullivan threatened to eclipse even Shaun Murphy's astonishing recovery from 11-5 down to beat his old adversary Matthew Stevens 13-12 earlier.

Higgins said: "I saw what Shaun did and then Ronnie came out of the box firing. He was dancing round the table and I had to keep my composure. At the end he told me, 'play well, win it'. We respect each other."

Higgins, 32 in a fortnight, has been easing the stress of his boldest challenge in a decade with deep breathing exercises. He breathed fire, scorching O'Sullivan's bid beyond repair.

He launched a barrage of four half-centuries and a 94 to pepper his rival's fragile armour.

O'Sullivan may be a morning man when it comes to running but he was off the potting pace before lunch.

Higgins, now the provisional world No 1, pounced to clinch his first world semi-final since 2001. But he insisted: "It's nonsense to say I'm going to win it now. It's just another match."

Murphy conjured one of the most remarkable comebacks in the Crucible's rich 30-year snooker history to steal a quarter-final even he believed was beyond him.

The 2005 World Champion arrived expecting to congratulate rival Matthew Stevens, who led 11-5 from Tuesday and needed only two more frames for victory. Instead Murphy won 13-12 in a compelling Crucible drama.

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Murphy, who chipped away Stevens' 10-6 lead two seasons ago to win the title 18-16, said: "When I left home I nearly put the sprinkler on, I thought I'd be back in an hour. If I had done, I'd be going back to a swimming pool."

Murphy's pessimism was justified, as no player had ever won a Crucible quarter-final from so far behind, but by eight minutes past two he was a legend in his own lunchtime.

Superman fan Murphy, 24, said: "He threw everything at me except a chunk of kryptonite. I'm stunned, I never truly believed I could win. It wasn't until 12-7 that I started to think I might do it."

Stevens now drops out of the top 16 and must qualify for Sheffield next year. Twice he has blown big leads in the world final - he was 13-7 up on Mark Williams in 2000 but lost 18-16.

Shaken Stevens, 29, said: "It was a matter of finishing off and I couldn't do it. I had enough chances. I couldn't get over the line.I'm devastated, obviously. I know I'm capable of winning the title. I've got to put a lot of work in this summer. I gave it my best and it wasn't good enough today."

Murphy's only regret was the absence of his father, former World Snooker official Tony - the pair have not spoken for 18 months in a family dispute. But he said: "My dad knows my number and where I live."

Maguire swept aside Anthony Hamilton 13-7 with third-session breaks of 137, 108 and 96 in four frames.